Sleeping with pets might help kids sleep

If your child sleeps with the family dog or cat at night, don't worry that it's hurting their sleep. In a new study published in the journal Sleep Health, researchers at Concordia University in Montreal examined 118 children and adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17, having them complete sleep surveys and wear sleep trackers. They found that sleeping with the family pet did not cause kids to have night awakenings or shorter overall sleep. In fact, children who reported frequently co-sleeping with pets tended to say they experienced better quality sleep.